Death Wish
by EmonyDeborah
Summary: Kate sits in Gibbs' chair, and chaos, surprisingly, does not ensue. Set in early season four; Kate lives; Kibbs


Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of these characters.

In my head this is set in early season 4, but it doesn't really matter. Kate lives; Kibbs.

Tony DiNozzo prided himself on being aware of his surroundings. So, as soon as he exited the elevator on Friday morning, he knew something was off. As he entered the bullpen, it immediately became obvious exactly what that something was.

"Ah, Kate." Kate looked up from the files she was sorting, her chestnut hair settling around her shoulders. "Why are you sitting behind Gibbs' desk?"

"I'm putting these files away," she answered, unconcerned about what Tony considered to be her impending doom. Tony didn't understand, did Kate have a death wish? Was she unsatisfied at work and wanted to go out with a bang?

"Yeah, but why do you have to sit at Gibbs' desk to do that?"

"They're his files, Tony," Kate said as if it was obvious. "He let me use them for a cold case I've been looking over." Tony frowned, still not comprehending why Kate would be so foolish as to get in Gibbs' space.

"So, you're putting Gibbs' files away, at Gibbs' desk?" Kate looked at him as though he was speaking Greek.

"Yes," she said a bit louder than normal, as if she was speaking to someone very slow. Tony stared at her a moment longer, then shook his head, baffled, and retreated to the safety of his desk.

Upstairs, Director Shepard had just concluded a very successful meeting and was escorting the Director of Homeland Security from her office. As they exchanged pleasantries, Director Shepard happened to glance down into the bullpen and see Special Agent Todd sitting at Gibbs' desk. A second later, she heard a _ding_ and saw Gibbs himself step off of the elevator.

"Ah, thank you for your understanding, Director," Shepard said with a forced smile. "We'll get a team working on that right away." She understood the importance of inter-agency cooperation, she really did, but if this brute asked her to dinner _one more time…_ She was distracted as Gibbs swept into the bullpen. "I'll keep you informed," she said, without looking away from Gibbs. The director of Homeland nodded and bustled off to the elevator, grumbling to himself about stuck-up women directors, but Director Shepard wasn't listening. Something very interesting was about to happen downstairs, and she didn't intend to miss it.

Gibbs had noticed Kate behind his desk the second he had entered the bullpen, and now he was raising his eyebrows. "Comfortable?" he asked, tilting his head almost teasingly.

Kate smiled, but answered seriously. "Very. Where did you get your chair?" Gibbs stared at her, smiling very slightly. Kate smiled back knowingly. "I'm going." Gibbs smile became more pronounced as Kate stood up and began to move to her own desk. As she passed him, he held out a cup of coffee, and she accepted it with a very faint blush and a tiny smile. "Thanks," she said, somewhat surprised at his thoughtfulness. Then Kate went to her desk. Director Shepard noted with interest that Gibbs watched Agent Todd until she was settled into her own seat before going to his. Gibbs seemed to sense someone watching him, because he looked up and met the director's eyes for a second before turning back to Kate. She was taking a tentative sip of her coffee, and she smiled at him when she found that it was not his standard tarlike substance. Gibbs smiled back, a real smile this time, and it lit up his whole face. It seemed to have made his day to have made Kate happy, even if it was just over coffee. The director only stared, astonished at this turn of events.

Tony, also, had been watching discreetly and with great interest since Gibbs had stepped off the elevator. Now, he was glancing back and forth between Gibbs and Kate, waiting for Gibbs to start yelling or for Kate to keel over and die from poisoned coffee. But when nothing happened except Gibbs started to type and Kate finished her coffee, he decided to speak up.

"That's it?" he asked, bewildered. Gibbs glared at him, the gentleness he had exhibited towards Kate long gone.

"What, DiNozzo?" he snapped. Tony floundered for a moment, his mouth opening and closing.

"Well, she was sitting at your chair, Boss. When Director Shepard did that, you-"

"Kate is not Director Shepard, DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked. "Fiancées are generally allowed to sit in your chair." Kate smiled widely at her computer as Tony's jaw dropped to the floor. Director Shepard, who had been listening very carefully from her high position, froze, her eyes wide. Gibbs, noticing all of this, just smirked.

A/N: Please review!


End file.
